Color the Sky
by Magical Dog Girl
Summary: Avery Bravo was your near typical outcast. When her computer becomes a portal into another world, Avery must now decide between the world she knows, and the world she loves. Rated T for safety and to satisfy my paranoia.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all! Welcome to the first story on this account! Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gravity Falls or any of its characters.**

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><p><strong>I<strong>

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><p>Avery sat on the bench during lunch at school, listening to a song by an obscure artist. She watched students go by, occasionally removing the right ear bud to see if anyone would stop to talk to her. As per usual, no one would, so she placed it back in. Today was a special day, her birthday. The school had announced that it was her birthday, along with four other students. Those who knew her would give her a casual "Happy birthday" but then they'd walk along, ignoring Avery's call of thanks.<p>

She felt no one liked her, which wasn't entirely true. Some thought she was mentally insane, though she was clearly not, and avoided her at all costs. Others wanted to be her friend, but she had not recognized their advances, and consequently, their attempts always failed. Avery hated that she pushed people away. She hated herself for losing control of her depression in freshman year. She hated everything about herself, from her freckled face to her large thighs.

The bell rang, signaling that lunch was over. Avery stood and threw away her sandwich that she had stopped eating about halfway through the lunch period. She walked to her locker, and reached for the lock. As she began to turn the combination, she noticed that people were crowding around her locker with various expressions. Some looked shocked, others confused, others were grinning. Avery finally looked up and saw a note taped to the door near her number. It was a torn scrap of yellowed paper held up by scotch tape.

_I'll see you at home, Avery! Good luck until then!_

"Hey!" Someone called out to the rest. "Someone's got a crush on the crazy girl!"

"And they know where she lives!" Someone else cried. "She's got a stalker!" As the crowd dispersed, Avery swore she heard someone say: "I hope they kill her." She took off the note and stared at it for a minute. The handwriting was odd. No one she knew had that kind of handwriting. Who wrote this? Did she really have a stalker?

She folded the note neatly into a square and stuffed it in the pocket of her jacket, intending to throw it away after she could observe it better. She hurriedly got her things, re-locked her locker and left for her history class.

Avery sat in the back of the class, where her assigned seat was. Everyone had been given an assignment to work on with a partner, and since someone was sick that day, Avery was left to be the odd one out. She finished typing the last slide of a presentation in the Google Drive and viewed the presentation. Everything looked fine. She sent it to her teacher, who told her that she had received it a few minutes afterwards.

She took out the note again, trying to figure out who wrote it and why. She stared at it, comparing the handwriting to those of her classmates. She had helped the teacher grade a few tests from time to time for extra credit, so she was somewhat acquainted to the handwriting. It wasn't Jimmy's. It wasn't Katie's. It certainly wasn't Paul's. She looked at it again. It looked to be made by a male, so that ruled out the girls. For the most part at least.

She noticed that her thumb was covering something, so she moved it aside. The image was that of a triangle with a pyramid design and a singular eye. _Who the frick decided it was a good idea to send me the Illuminati?_ She noticed the triangle had a top hat, bowtie, and stick arms and legs, as though someone had doodled over it. _Weird._ "Whatever…" She sighed, tearing the note in half and tossed it in the nearby trashcan.

The class ended soon after. Avery began to head to her next class when she was stopped by a boy in her Honors Biology class. "Hey. You're Avery, right?" He asked.

"Yeah?" Avery tilted her head to the side slightly. Who was this boy? Oh, right, his name was Ruben…

"I heard about what happened at your locker." Ruben said. "Do you still have the note?"

"No, sorry." Avery shook her head. "I threw it away."

"Oh, okay." Ruben nodded in understanding. "Sorry. I just wanted to look at it. Do you remember what it said?"

"Something about seeing me when I got home." Avery shrugged. "There's was this weird triangle, too. The freshmen were probably playing a joke on me, huh?"

"Probably." Ruben smiled. "Gotta go. See you!"

"Bye." Avery waved, continuing to her next class.

As the day ended, Avery returned to find another note on her locker. She quickly tore it down, not wanting anyone else to see.

_Don't tear my notes!_

"Can't tell me what to do, mysterious note-giver." Avery smirked at her joke, but decided to keep this one anyways. She folded it again and placed it in her pocket once more. Looking around to see if anyone noticed, she got the supplies for her homework and locked the locker for the last time that day.

Avery closed the front door to her home and greeted the emptiness. Her parents wouldn't be home until at least six. She dropped her backpack near the coffee table in the living room and poured herself a glass of Coca-Cola. She was about to pick up the soda for a drink, but saw something move out of the corner of her eye. It had been quick, but she knew it had been there. Avery quietly picked up a kitchen knife from the knife holder and slowly walked to where she had seen the thing. She pressed herself against the wall as she heard someone speaking. Her grip tightened and she swung at the thing when she turned the corner. It hit nothing.

Avery straightened herself and called out. "Hey, dickbutt!" She yelled to the air. "I saw you! Come out, damnit!" She heard laughter behind her. Turning around, there was nothing again. "Come on! Stop screwing around!" Nothing responded this time. Avery sighed, after waiting for a few minutes, and returned the knife to the holder. "Whatever. My meds are probably going out of whack again…" She took her bag and went to her room to do her homework.

When she looked at the clock, Avery saw that it was six-thirty and that her parents had not yet returned home. Figuring that they were probably working late, Avery got up to get something to eat. A sandwich or a leftover pancake probably.

When she returned with a thick slice of ham she hadn't bothered to heat up, she saw her computer had gone dark. Despite her figuring it had gone to the screensaver, it wouldn't respond when she moved the mouse. The light indicating that the monitor was on was flashing. It did not flash for a minute and Avery saw a single file in the midst of the dark screen.

An executable file? What was this, a creepypasta? She sighed, since her other option to turn off the computer wasn't working, and clicked the file. The file opened an image of a cartoon-styled building. It had large orange letters reading "Mystery Hack" with an 'S' dangling near the 'H'. The building was close to wherever she was viewing it from. A door opened and a young girl followed by a young boy walked out. The boy was reading from a book with a six-fingered hand on the cover. The hand held the number three on its palm. The girl was saying something inaudible to Avery, while the boy was nodding in response. The girl faced the screen and stopped walking. She grabbed the sleeve of the boy's shirt and pointed ahead of them at Avery. She said something, her words still inaudible. The boy finally looked up and jumped back, startled.

Avery watched the two children with a confused expression. "What the frick?" She said aloud. The two on the screen stopped whatever they were doing and looked back at Avery. The boy walked over and Avery heard a tapping noise from the screen as the boy tapped on it. Avery blinked at the sudden sound. The boy took a step back. He began saying something. Avery realized they could hear her, but she couldn't hear them. She held up her index finger, signaling for them to wait. They seemed to understand.

Avery saw that her speakers were off, and went to turn them on. "Huh. They were on before…" She said in curiosity.

"What was on before?" She heard a girl's voice from the speakers.

"Oh my dear God!" Avery yelped putting her arms in front of her chest in a criss-cross manner. "What the actual frick?" She slowly walked back to the screen to see the children looking at her concerned.

"Are you alright?" The boy asked.

"Who the freaka-frack are you two?" She demanded. "Why are you in my computer? How can you see me?"

"Computer?" The girl walked over and tapped the screen again. "Is that what this floating screen is?"

"Floating screen?" Avery asked, slowly uncrossing her arms. "Is that what my monitor looks like from inside it?"

"Who are you?" The boy asked, walking to stand by the girl.

"I'm Avery." Avery said. "Avery Bravo."

"Nice to meet you, Avery!" The girl cheered happily. "I'm Mabel Pines! That's my brother Dipper!"

"Hello." Avery nodded.

"Hey, Avery?" The boy, Dipper spoke up timidly.

"Yeah?" She asked. "What's up?"

"Can you try… reaching your hand out?" he asked, as if Avery would think he's crazy.

"Like, to the screen?" Dipper nodded. "Alrighty. Here's goes nothing…" Avery slowly stretched out her hand and gently pressed against the screen. She screamed in surprise when her hand went through. She couldn't see it on the other side, but apparently Dipper and Mabel could.

"Pull her in!" Mabel cried suddenly. Avery felt a grip on her hidden wrist.

"Wait, what?" Avery yelled as she was pulled into the monitor. She grunted as she landed on grass. She looked up and screamed again.

She was in the cartoon world, with Dipper and Mabel staring down at her.

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><p><strong>AN: Well, that was chapter one! Hope you all enjoyed! What'll happen next? You'll find out next chapter! Feel free to send me ideas as my well of muses dries up sometimes! See you all next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again everyone! Thank you for your feedback! Shaddowridder221, I had a different plan in mind that will be explained a little in this chapter, but I can throw that idea in! Thank you very much! Hope you all enjoy!**

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><p><strong>II<strong>

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><p>Avery stared dumb-founded up at Dipper and Mabel. Mabel waved a hand in front of Avery's face. "Hello~ Earth to Avery!" Avery blinked once, looking at her new four-fingered hand. She looked at her clothes. She had become a cartoon!<p>

"Are you okay?" Dipper asked. "Sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to do that."

"It… it's fine." Avery stood. Being a cartoon felt as natural to her as being real. "This is just… so surreal…" She observed her hands, turning them over and moving the fingers. "Really weird, but, at the same time, it's kind of cool." She cracked a smile. "I look so different now."

"You look like us now!" Mabel grinned, then took Avery's hand. "Come on! You can meet our Grunkle Stan!"

"Uh… okay!" Avery cried out at the fact that she was now being dragged. Dipper rolled his eyes and followed the two.

"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel called, letting go of Avery, allowing her to stand on her own. "We made a friend!" A girl with long red hair standing behind a counter smiled at Mabel.

"Who's this?" The girl asked.

"This is Avery." Mabel motioned to Avery. "She's our new friend!" Avery only nodded in confirmation.

"Nice to meet you, Avery." The girl smiled. "I'm Wendy."

"Nice to meet you… too…" Avery looked away and saw a larger man wearing a shirt with a question mark on it.

"Hey, guys!" The man smiled. "Who're you?" He asked Avery, observing her.

"Avery…" Avery paused. "Who're you?"

"I'm Soos!" The man, Soos, smiled proudly. "Are you the twins' friend?"

"Yep!" Mabel spoke for Avery. Avery waved. "Where's Grunkle Stan?"

"Mr. Pines is out, doing… whatever it is he does." Soos shrugged. "Why? Were you gonna show him Avery?"

"Pretty much." Mabel nodded. "I was gonna ask if Avery could stay here."

"He'll probably say yes." Soos paused.

"Who'll say yes?" Another man wearing a fez came through the front door. "And who's this?"

"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel cried in joy. "This is Avery. We wanted to know if she could stay here!" The man called Grunkle Stan paused, as if in thought.

"As long as she's okay with working for free." He said. Avery slowly nodded.

"I guess I am." She spoke quietly. Grunkle Stan heard her anyways and laughed.

"You'll start tomorrow!" He grinned. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a show to watch." As he walked away, Avery tried to process all that had just happened to her.

She was in a cartoon. There was no denying that. She apparently made some new friends, if one could even call it that. To top it all off, she had gotten a new job. She chuckled slightly. "Happy birthday to me."

"It's your birthday?" Mabel asked excitedly.

"Yeah." Avery shrugged. "It's nothing major, though. Just turned sixteen…"

"Sixteen!" Mabel cried. She giggled excitedly. "The day's just begun! We're gonna throw you the best sixteenth birthday party ever!"

"Yeah, okay. Wait, what?" Avery blinked in surprise. Mabel began blurting off various party plans. As Mabel started describing the 'dream dress', Avery cut her off. "Now hold on! No one's throwing a party for Avery!"

"Oh come on, Avery!" Mabel whined. "You only turn sixteen once!" Avery sighed.

"Okay, fine." Mabel cheered.

"Yay! You're gonna love it!" Mabel ran off to get things for the party. Not knowing what else to do, Avery walked back outside and saw a floating screen that depicted her chair in front of her desk back home. Getting an idea, Avery walked over and pressed her hand against the screen. It went through and Avery was not as surprised as she had been before. She did yelp a little, but then moved her arm through. She moved her other arm through, and placed them on her desk. She pushed herself through and landed back in her chair.

She sat down properly and stared at the screen. Had she really just done that? A command formed in her head. _Shut it down. Alt and F4 should do the trick._ Deciding to follow the command, she pressed the keys on her keyboard and the screen went dark. The screen soon showed her regular desktop again. An executable file was in the upper right corner.

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><p>The next day at school, some students noticed that Avery had been acting strange. She would space out and stop talking during her presentation and wouldn't resume talking for a minute or so. When she did resume, she continued as if she hadn't stopped in the first place.<p>

Avery felt as though she were an observer to her body, as if her actions weren't her own. She tried to present normally, but she would see something at the back of the room and stare at it for a while, not realizing that she had stopped speaking, until it had disappeared and her voice continued.

Now as she sat in Calculus, Avery couldn't get her mind off of the cartoon world. She wondered what Dipper and Mabel were doing. Had everything frozen in the world, or would it simply resume like a video game? "I want to go back." Avery muttered to no one. Everything seemed so strange… "I have to go back." Avery stood, picked up her backpack and walked to the door.

"Miss Bravo?" The teacher asked in a demanding voice. "Where do you think you're going?" Avery just turned her head to him.

"I have to go back." Was all she said before opening the door and leaving. The teacher sighed.

"I don't get paid enough for this…"

The next thing she knew, she was outside her front door. She blinked once, twice, then three times. "How'd I get home?" She asked, looking around. The last thing she remembered was that she was in Calculus thinking about… What was she thinking about? Avery shrugged, assuming that school had ended and she had simply gone about her end-of-the-school-day routine and had thought nothing of it. She unlocked the door and walked inside. She did not announce her return, for who would be there to hear it? She walked to her room and turned on her monitor. The file was still in the upper right corner. She clicked on it, her face a complete blank. The screen went black, then showed the building again. Avery put her arms in the monitor and pulled herself in.

She looked down and saw that she had become a cartoon again. The door opened and Mabel came walking out.

"There you are, Avery!" She smiled. "I was looking for you. Where did you go?"

"I went back." Avery explained, regaining her senses. "It's been about a day."

"A day?" Mabel giggled. "Oh, don't be silly, Avery! It's only been about three hours!"

"Half an hour?" Avery asked. "I guess time is different in this world."

"I guess so!" Mabel smiled, taking Avery's hand again. "Come on! I found the perfect dress for you! I hope you like sparkles!" She led Avery back into the building and up a flight of stairs into an attic. "Are you ready?" She pulled open the door. "Ta-da!" Avery gawked at the sight of a blue dress with short sleeves had a curved look at the bottom. It had light-blue sequins on the chest area. "Do you like it?"

"Mabel…" Avery blinked. "It's awesome! I freaking love it!" Mabel grinned.

"Go try it on!" Mabel closed the curtains so that no one could look in through the windows and closed the door. "I'll make sure no one gets in." Mabel covered her eyes and turned to face the door. Avery smiled and began to change into the dress.

"Hey, Mabel?" Avery called.

"Yeah?"

"Where should I put my regular clothes?"

"Put 'em on my bed." Mabel instructed. "It's the one with the kitten sheets." Avery walked over to the bed and laid her clothes down.

"Alright." She tried to pull the back zipper up, but could only reach halfway. "Hey, it's safe. Can you help me with the zipper real quick?" Mabel turned around and zipped up the dress the rest of the way. "How do I look?" Avery turned around and Mabel's eyes went wide.

"Amazing…" She whispered. Avery blushed. "Let's go show them! They should have the party ready by now!" Avery nodded as Mabel led her back downstairs. Avery watched Mabel run ahead of her and flinched when she yelled. "The princess has arrived!" Everyone turned their heads to see Avery walking down the stairs. Various 'Ooh's and 'Aah's rang out and Avery became embarrassed. Wendy started clapping and others joined in. "Come on." Mabel nudged Avery. "Say something."

"Uh…" Avery was at a loss for words as the clapping died down. "Thanks for… coming, everyone. Um… e-enjoy the party! I guess…" Everyone resumed their activities and Mabel left to talk to her friends. Loud music was blaring from speakers, making Avery's head hurt. It was hard to hear people over the music and bright lights shone in her face. Avery decided to go outside, if only to get away from the lights.

It had become night outside and Avery sat on the porch of the building. She placed her elbows on her knees and looked up at the starry sky. She had never seen the sky with stars before. Yes, there were a few stars at night back home, with three visible stars at the maximum, but Avery had never seen so many stars grouped together before. She sat in silence, with the music somewhat audible from inside. "It's nice out here, isn't it?" Avery jumped as she heard someone else's voice. She looked to her left and saw a boy about her age wearing all yellow with a black top hat and bowtie. He had blonde hair covering his right eye. He chuckled at Avery's reaction.

"Y-Yeah…" Avery calmed down. Where had this boy come from? She hadn't seen him inside. On the other hand, maybe she had and didn't take any notice of him. "It's… real nice." Avery glanced at him. "Hey, uh… I'm not trying to sound rude or anything, but… Who are you? I didn't see you inside." The boy smirked, leaning back.

"Name's Bill Cipher." He smiled. "Nice to meet you, Avery." _How does he know my name? Eh, probably heard Mabel or someone else say it…_

"Nice to… meet you too, Bill." Avery forced a smile. "Why aren't you inside?"

"Why aren't _you_?" Bill dodged the question, knowing Avery wouldn't ask again.

"I… don't really like parties." Avery shrugged, looking down at her faded red sneakers. "They're too loud and the lights hurt my eyes…" Suddenly, the door behind them flew open and Mabel walked out.

"There you are, Avery!" She cried. "I was looking for…" She trailed off when she saw Bill.

"Hey, Shooting Star." Bill grinned, tipping his hat. Mabel screamed and ran to get Dipper.

"What was that all about?" Avery asked. Bill didn't reply as he stood. Dipper and Mabel ran out.

"Why are you here, Bill?" Dipper demanded. Avery leaned away from the dispute.

"Hey, relax, Pine Tree." Bill put out his hands defensively. "Just wanted to wish Eaves a happy birthday!" Avery blinked. Was he talking about her?

"Are you sure?" Dipper asked, now confused.

"Yeah. That's all!" Bill began to float away. Avery's eyes widened at the sight of the boy floating. Humans can't fly, right? "Well, I'll catch you three later!" He floated away, then disappeared altogether.

"What just happened?" Avery asked.

"That was the dream demon, Bill Cipher." Dipper began explaining. "He's supposed to be really dangerous. I've never seen him look like a human before…"

"He didn't seem dangerous." Avery muttered, looking at the ground. Soos came out the door.

"Hey, dudes." He smiled. "The cake is ready! Everyone wants the birthday girl to get the first bite."

"Come on." Mabel started walking off to the party. Dipper lagged behind.

"Avery. I know he seemed nice, but he's bad news, okay?" He said. "I don't want you getting hurt, so just please stay away from him."

"Okay." Avery nodded. She flinched at the sudden explosion of noise from the speakers. "Can we turn that down, please?" She called to Dipper.

"Okay!" He called back, motioning for the DJ to turn it down a little.

"Thank you!" Mabel led Avery to pink cake, which had the words 'Happy Birthday Avery' on it in red frosting. Wendy cut a piece and handed the plate to Avery, who nodded her thanks. She took a bite of the chocolate cake and Mabel threw confetti at her.

"Happy sixteenth, Avery!" She yelled, cheering along with some others, who soon began enjoying their own slices.

After the post-party clean up, Avery had changed back into her regular clothes and was back at the floating screen. Mabel and Dipper had already gone to sleep and Avery had the dress tucked under her arm. She put the dress through first and then pulled herself in. She closed the portal and checked the time. Half past midnight? She sighed, then changed into her pajamas and soon fell asleep in her bed.

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><p>Avery's eyes widened as the new student walked to the front of the room a week later. Her breath caught in her throat as he said his name.<p>

Bill Cipher.

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><p><strong>AN: Whew! Long chapter! Hope everyone enjoyed! If anyone has any ideas, feel free to send me them! See you all next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you everyone for your feedback! I'm glad you all are enjoying it! Hope you enjoy this chapter, too!**

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><p><strong>III<strong>

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><p>The teacher instructed Bill to sit wherever there was room, which was pretty much the back row where Avery sat. Avery ducked her head down quickly, silently praying there was a spot available somewhere else. <em>Anywhere but here! I'm begging you, powers that be! Let him sit anywhere but here!<em> Bill smirked and walked over to the seat next to Avery.

"Is this taken?" He asked. Avery sat up straight, ready to lie.

"No." Wrong word. Bill smiled, then took the seat.

"It is now." _Frick._ Avery tried to ignore the fact that the guy who could fly was sitting next to her. Many questions ran through her mind. _Why was he here? How did he get here?_ _Why is he looking at me so smugly? Stop it, dude. That's freaky._ She told him, as though he could read her thoughts.

"Miss Bravo?" The teacher spoke up at the near end of class, signaling Avery to her desk. Avery stood, grateful to get away from Bill, and walked over to the teacher's desk.

"Yes, Miss Shanahan?" Avery asked.

"Would you be okay with showing Mister Cipher around the school?" Avery's heart sank. "He said it was a miracle he made it here on time." Avery wanted to say 'no', but she just sighed.

"Sure thing." She forced a smile.

"Are you sure?" Ms. Shanahan gave Avery a suspicious look. "You sighed."

"I just thought you were going to yell at me about something." Avery lied. Ms. Shanahan laughed.

"There's nothing to yell about." She smiled. "Are you okay with showing him around after class?"

"But, he and I have other classes." Avery tried to protest rationally. "I don't want him to be late or miss class."

"I'll let his and your teachers know you two might miss class or be a little late." Ms. Shanahan smiled. "Don't worry, honey. I got'cha covered." Ms. Shanahan was always calling her students names like 'honey', 'sweetie' and even 'boo' at some points.

"I'll do it, then." Avery felt defeated.

"Great." Ms Shanahan smiled. "Bill, sweetie. Avery says she'll show you around."

"Great." Bill grinned as Avery sat back down. The bell rang, but Avery was not free. Bill was already at the door when Avery walked over, her purple backpack hanging off of her right shoulder.

"You ready to go?" Avery asked, trying to sound nice.

"Are you?" He smirked. Avery smiled, if only a little.

"Might as well be." She began walking with Bill next to her. "Hey, uh… Bill? I know this might sound weird, but… were you at a party sometime last week?"

"You're asking if I'm from Gravity Falls." Bill clarified. Avery paused.

"Uh… yeah." She frowned. How did he know that? Well, of course he _would_ know if it really was him, so it definitely was. "How'd you even get here anyways?"

"I can dimension travel!" Bill grinned. "Just something demons can do."

"So Dipper wasn't letting his imagination take over…" Avery frowned as the bell rang. Panic began to fill her stomach. She had never missed class before. What if she missed something important, like a test? She tried to reassure herself that it would be fine, that she could ask Mr. G if she could get whatever it was she missed. Besides, Ms. Shanahan had it under control, right? She jumped as Bill put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright, Eaves." Bill smirked at her surprise. "Everything's gonna be okay. You won't miss anything important."

"I hope you're not lying…" Avery gave Bill a little glare, but it quickly disappeared as she remembered what they were supposed to be doing.

"Don't worry about that!" Bill interjected. "I already know where to go for everything!" Avery took a step away.

"Can you read my thoughts or something?" She glared. "Because that is just creepy."

"That hurts." Bill pouted, despite Avery knowing it was fake.

"So you can…" Avery sighed. "That's just great!" Sarcasm ran through her statement. She sighed. "So, what do you wanna do if you already know everything? Having me go with you was just pointless."

"Not entirely." Bill looked away for a second. "I just wanted to learn more about you."

"Do you have any idea how stalker-like that sentence sounded?" Avery scowled, mostly at herself. She hated how she acted like this, despite wanting to be friends with Bill. She was like that with everyone who attempted to be friends. She became suspicious of possible ulterior motive and became hostile. "I… I'm sorry. You don't hate me right? You're not trying to be friendly as a joke? Tell me honestly, who paid you?"

"Calm down, Eaves." Bill raised his hands defensively. "I'm not trying to make fun of you. I just want to get to know you better." Avery relaxed, if only a little.

"Okay. I'll take your word for it." She sighed, defeated. "Alright, so do you have any place in mind we could go where we won't get in trouble for being out of class?"

"I think I know a place." Bill led Avery outside of the hallway and picked her up. Avery yelped.

"Now what do you think you're doing?" She half yelled.

"You'll see." He smirked. "Hang on tight!" He began floating off the ground, lifting higher into the air. Avery yelped, quickly wrapping her arms around his neck in case he decided it would be a good idea to drop her. As he rose higher, Avery whimpered, looking down, then shutting her eyes.

"Put me down! I hate heights!" Bill laughed.

"It's alright." He said, floating over to the roof of the school. He landed and gently nudged Avery. "We're here." Avery opened one eye, then the other. Bill helped her stand and the two sat down on the ledge. Bill floated slightly above the ledge. Avery tucked her legs underneath her so that she would feel something solid. She hated it if her legs dangled, or if she had to walk on a loose surface, such as gravel or sand.

Bill initiated the conversation first, asking Avery what she liked to do in her free time. He already knew, but he didn't want Avery to know that. After a while, he asked her about her elementary school.

Avery had been hesitant at first, but then told Bill that she had gone to two different ones. She had to leave her first one because she had stood up to a teacher no one liked, and was consequently expelled. Avery claimed she got expelled because that teacher had a grudge against her, for reasons that Avery had long forgotten. Avery explained that after her expulsion, the students at her old school called her a martyr, but then resumed telling rumors that she was possessed by the devil. "I mean, that's just stupid!" Avery exclaimed. "I wasn't possessed, I was on the wrong medicine! This is not hard to understand."

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><p>As Avery laughed at a joke Bill had told her a little later, they heard the sound of the lunchtime bell. Avery's laughter died down. "I guess we gotta go back down." She almost felt sad. Almost. Bill only nodded and Avery up again. They floated down, Avery a little less scared, and landed out of sight of anyone who may have been looking out the window. Bill put down Avery and they walked back into the hallway as students began streaming out of the classrooms.<p>

"I'll see you later, Eaves." Bill smiled, waving as he walked down the hallway to the right. Avery smiled and waved back, continuing on to her locker.

She sat on her usual bench and continued her futile hopes that someone would talk to her. Talking to Bill was pretty fun, and it had helped her with her slowly resurfacing depression, if only a little. She wondered if anything would ever help more than a little. Suddenly a girl everyone knew walked up to her. She was Erika. Avery couldn't help but be jealous of Erika. Everyone liked Erika. She had a boyfriend, who was the quarterback of the football team. Cliché to anyone else? Erika was always surrounded by her friends. It was so surreal that she was coming up to Avery. Avery was brought back to reality by Erika angrily ripping out Avery's ear buds.

"What?" Avery glared, upset that her favorite song was so forcefully taken from her.

"Who do you think you are?" Erika growled. Avery picked up her ear buds, stuffing them hastily in her pocket. "You think you can get the new kid all to yourself?"

"What are you talking about?" Avery played dumb. "I was just showing him around. Ms. Shanahan asked me to!"

"Yeah, right. Like I'm gonna believe that!" Erika sneered. A crowd of students had formed on the sidewalk, watching the quarrel eagerly. _Lunchtime entertainment…_ Avery decided. "Where were you two then? No one saw you in the halls!" Someone whispered something in Erika's ear, to which Erika grinned. "Ooh! So _that's_ what you two were doing."

"What?" Avery glared, standing. She noticed Bill somewhere in the back of the crowd.

"You think I'm stupid, don't you!" Erika shouted. Where are teachers when you need them? "You fucking slut!" Avery flinched at the insult, then put two and two together. Erika thought…

"Jesus! No!" Avery shook her head furiously, her hands balling into fists. Erika noticed the action.

"You think you're gonna fight _me_?" Erika mocked. "Me! Of all the people to pick a fight with!"

"You…" Avery began, lowering her head. "You…" She couldn't find the words. No matter how hard she tried, she knew she deserved it. She deserved the unwarranted hatred. Erika signaled to someone in the crowd. A taller, well-built boy came out of the crowd. He leaned down and Erika whispered something to him. He nodded, then walked menacingly toward Avery. Bill, knowing what would happen, shoved his way through the crowd and stood protectively in front of Avery.

"You'll have to get through me first!" Bill roared in a more demonic voice. Avery looked up quickly, frightened by the voice. She saw that Bill's attire and his hair had turned to a bright red. The first thing Avery thought was. _Good glob. He's pissed!_ Students backed away, afraid of the kid who had suddenly turned red. The taller boy's face twisted into a fearful expression as he slowly backed away. Bill watched, unblinking as the taller boy finally ran, along with some of the smarter students in the crowd, then turned to Erika. "Listen to me and listen well, child." Bill spoke, still in the demonic voice. "You will stay away from Avery, or I'll make sure you never see a joyous dream again!"

Erika, who had lost her smug mannerisms, nodded before running away. Bill was slowly returning to yellow as he glared at the rest of the crowd, who then promptly scattered. "Sorry you had to see that, Eaves." Avery stood there, too frightened to find words. What had just happened? Bill looked at her with slight concern. "You okay?" He sighed. "Yeah, I know. That _was _kinda scary. I don't really like it when I get mad either. I was just upset that they were gonna hurt you." He gave a comforting smile. "I like you, kid. You don't deserve something like that."

"Thanks…?" Avery paused as the bell rang. Bill smiled.

"Head on off to class, okay?" Bill said. "If you need me again just call!" He then disappeared.

_What the hell just happened?_

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry I got this uploaded later than I planned! Hope you all enjoyed anyways! **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you for your feedback everyone! Special thank you to the Anon for pointing out that error! I didn't see that! Please enjoy this chapter!**

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><p><strong>IV<strong>

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><p>Avery didn't sit in her regular spot during lunch the next Monday. She sat off to the side of the school, in a secluded, unfinished hallway. No one who saw her paid any mind to her. She was the crazy girl, after all, and after Wednesday's events, no one wanted anything to do with her.<p>

The people who had normally tried to talk to her made no sign that they had even seen her. Bill, however, had suddenly become popular. Everyone wanted to talk to him, and had sometimes stopped him in the halls to do so. Avery left him behind.

She abruptly stopped tearing open her packaged peanut butter crackers when she heard footsteps. She didn't look up when the footsteps stopped in front of her. "Hey, Eaves." She still didn't look up. "What are you doing here all by yourself?"

"Eating lunch." Avery joked. "What does it look like I'm doing?" She gave a half-hearted laugh. "What are _you_ doing here? Aren't you the popular new kid?"

"I didn't want to sit with anyone today." Bill knelt down in front of her. "Mind if I stay with you?"

"I won't stop you." Avery leaned against the half-painted wall. Bill sat next to her. They sat in silence. Avery didn't even touch her crackers. "Didn't anyone see you coming over here?"

"Some people did."

"Why didn't they stop you?"

"Who knows." Bill pretended not to know, but he did. He had calmly explained to them that he was going to see Avery, and they looked at him as though he were insane. They tried to convince him to sit with them, but… Well, that's not important. "Why didn't anyone stop _you_?"

"I'm the crazy girl, remember?" Avery reminded grimly. "No one wants to associate with me."

"I do." Bill said quickly.

"I know." Avery said after a minute of silence. The bell rang and Avery stood. "I gotta go. I'll see you later… I hope." Bill only watched her leave.

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><p>About a day later, Avery and Bill were walking to the only class they had together. Avery glared at an obvious couple out of the corner of her eye. "Something wrong?" Bill asked.<p>

"Hell yeah, there's something wrong." Avery grumbled. "I'm freaking sick of all the damn couples in the hallways!" The couple stopped making out and looked in her direction. The boy comforted the girl, saying it was just the crazy girl again. "It's like, dear god! Stop blocking the hallway for everyone else and get your asses to class! You're here to learn not eat each other's faces!" Bill chuckled.

"You don't like couples, do you?" Avery rolled her eyes.

"It's not that I hate couples." She explained, a little bit calmer. "I just hate the ones that are up in everyone's faces about it. I guess I just hate all couples unless I'm in one." She laughed. "Yeah, like that's gonna happen!"

"Don't think like that!" Bill tried to reassure her. "You'll find someone who thinks you're cute!"

"Get real." Avery sighed. "Have you even _seen _my face? Good god, I'm hideous!"

"No you're not." Bill smiled. "I think you're cute." Avery stiffened and some girls who had overheard the conversation stopped dead. Someone actually thought the crazy girl was cute?

"You…" Avery wanted to yell at him. She sighed. The girls who had eavesdropped walked over to them.

"Hey, Bill!" They grabbed Bill's arms. "We need to talk to you!" They dragged him away before he could protest. Avery only shook her head as the bell that signaled they had five minutes left to get to class rang. She continued on to their classroom, clenching her teeth to try to hold back tears.

Avery had her head held in her left hand as Miss Shanahan rambled on about feudalism. She looked to her right and saw Bill, who looked equally bored, if not more so. Being a demon in a school for humans has to be annoying. Bill glanced over at her and gave a smirk. Avery waved back, lazily flashing a peace sign. She perked up slightly when Miss Shanahan said they could listen to music during the next assignment. Her spirits fells again when Miss Shanahan said that they could also work with a partner and when she saw Bill looking at her. As expected, Bill leaned over to her. No words needed to be said for Avery to understand the message. "I'll get some markers." She stood, going to the bin, then stopped once she saw people crowding around the marker bin. "On second thought, I think I'll wait a bit for the crowd to clear."

"Good idea." Bill nodded. About half an hour later, Avery had done almost all the work; Bill just sat there and watched her.

"Can you at least _pretend _to be helping?" Avery sighed, standing up straight. She stretched, for she had been bent over for about ten minutes.

"Why?" Bill asked smugly. "You seem to have everything under control."

"Why did you want to be partners with me in the first place?" Avery just shook her head and returned to the poster-board. Avery put in her ear buds and selected a song to listen to, since it seemed that Bill wasn't going to be interacting with her much today.

"What'cha listening too?" Bill asked, suddenly taking one of the ear buds and listening to the song. Avery frowned that the only working bud in that pair was taken.

"_Shepherd of Fire_." Avery explained. "Now give it back. That's the only working one." She snatched the bud from Bill and put it back in.

"Why'd you use a broken pair?" Bill asked, now being annoying.

"I could untangle my other pair in time." Avery shrugged. "Desperate times call for desperate measures." Bill laughed. Avery rolled her eyes.

"You're interesting." He said simply before going back to saying nothing. Avery muttered thanks as she finished the board.

Avery walked to her next class after Bill had split from her in the hallway. As she walked, a girl, Katelyn, or whatever her name was, walked with her. "Hey, you're Avery, right?"

"Yeah." Avery confirmed. She recognized the girl's voice. Katelyn was one of Erika's friends. "What of it?"

"I overheard that new kid call you cute." Katelyn smirked. "What was his name again, Bull or something?"

"It's Bill." Avery glared. Katelyn laughed.

"If that isn't the most generic name I've ever heard!" She mocked. "What do you think you're even doing? You're just an attention whore!"

"So what if I am?" Avery spat. "At least I'm more subtle about it!"

"At least I didn't make out with Bob the first day he was here!" Katelyn retorted.

"For the last fucking time," Avery spoke low and dangerously, making the crowd around them feel scared. No one liked the crazy girl when she was angry. "His name is Bill. B-I-L-L. And for the last time I'll say this. I did nothing, but show the guy around school." Avery clenched her fist. "So you know what, you damn she-hound? You can go screw yourself and stick those rumors right up your ass!" Avery wasted no time in punching Katelyn. Avery tried to remember all the boxing moves that Miss Hewins taught her in Phys Ed about two years ago. Everyone in the crowd stood in shock. This was the first time the crazy girl actually injured someone without a mathematical tool as a weapon, and she was damn good at it.

"Avery!" Bill called, pulling Avery to her senses. "Avery! Knock it off!" Bill grabbed her arms, restraining her. "She gets it, okay?" Avery was out of breath. Why did she get so angry whenever the rumors about her and Bill were brought up? Katelyn stumbled backwards, blood dripping from her nose and small bruise forming on her left cheek.

"You… You _are _crazy!" Katelyn cried, holding her nose.

"Someone get the nurse!" A boy in the crowd called as Bill led Avery away from the crowd. Avery growled.

"So everyone gets all worried when one of the popular girls gets her ass handed to her, but no one gives a damn when the crazy girl gets shoved down the stairs." Bill raised an eyebrow. "Someone pushed me down the stairs a month ago. My legs still ache from it." Bill sighed, pulling Avery into a secluded section of the hallway. Surprisingly enough, he didn't say anything. "I know, I know. I messed up really badly." He still remained silent. Avery gave a half-hearted chuckle. "Giving me the silent treatment now, eh?" Avery had her head down, teeth clenched as tears mocked her by blurring her vision.

Bill suddenly surprised Avery by pulling her quickly into a hug. Avery was stiff, what the frick was he doing? He held her tight, as if the world would end when he let go. Eventually, Avery threw her arms around him, unable to contain all the feelings that she had pent up. She whimpered into his chest, tears slowly falling down her face.

"I'm sorry." She muttered in a shaky voice. "I'm so freaking sorry."

"It's alright."

She hadn't heard those words in a while.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the late update! Hope you all enjoyed anyways! Let me know what you think should happen next!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry I missed Sunday's update! Hope you all enjoy the chapter!**

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><p><strong>V<strong>

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><p>Avery walked to the music room at the end of the day. She had to pick up her guitar and was going to ask Mr. Cisneros if she could stay behind to practice. She hadn't talked to Bill at all that day, and it seemed that he had made no attempt to strike up conversation either. Even in their class, he hadn't bothered Avery. Avery assumed that today was one of those 'off days' she had heard about.<p>

She opened the door to the music room and walked to the stack of guitars in their cases, thankful that Mr. Cisneros had labeled every one. Avery soon found the one labeled 'Avery Bravo. Keep going!' Mr. Cisneros liked to give his students words of encouragement on their sticky note labels.

Since Mr. Cisneros warned Avery ahead of time that he would be in a meeting until three-thirty, Avery decided to practice on her own. She pulled out one of the red-cushioned chairs, since she did better sitting down, and tuned the guitar. Once the guitar was ready, she began to play.

About halfway through the song, the door opened. Avery didn't notice as someone walked in. The person was about to say something, but stopped and began to listen to Avery's music.

When Avery had finished, she heard clapping and Bill's voice. "That was wonderful, Eaves." She looked up and saw Bill smiling at her. "I didn't know you could play _that_ well."

"Thanks, Bill." Avery stood and went to put her guitar back in its case. "So… um… how long were you there?"

"About halfway, I believe." Bill shrugged. Avery grew flustered. Bill had heard her playing… She stood, grabbing the case and walking to the door. Bill only smirked as he watched her leave.

Avery arrived home and immediately went upstairs to her room. She locked the door to her room and opened the file. When the screen showed the building, Avery wasted no time in pulling herself through and landed on the soft grass. She stood, brushing the dirt off her shirt, and walked into the building. Mabel poked her head out from around a corner.

"Avery!" She cried happily. "We've been looking for you!"

"Really?" Avery asked, surprised. "Well, I'm here now!"

"C'mon." Mabel led Avery upstairs. "I'm having a sleepover in an hour.." Mabel suddenly gasped, as if in realization. "Why don't _you _come? Oh, pretty please? It'll be fun!" Avery smiled at Mabel's begging. Avery was easily moved.

"Oh, okay." Mabel cheered in victory.

"Yay! Come on! Let's get this going!"

"Wait, shouldn't I go get my stuff, first?" Avery hesitantly asked.

"Well, the screen's still there, right?" Mabel reassured. "Don't worry. It'll still be there tomorrow!"

"Whatever you say…" Avery sighed and followed Mabel.

"Hey, Dipper!" Mabel smiled as she and Avery walked into the attic. "Avery's back."

"Oh, hey, Avery." Dipper waved, not looking up from a book that had a six-fingered hand with the number 3 on its palm on the cover.

"Hey, Dipper." Avery smiled, waving back.

"Avery's gonna be at the sleepover tonight!" Mabel announced happily.

"Wonderful." Dipper responded flatly.

"Oh come on, Dipper!" Mabel sighed. "We hardly see Avery! Can't you get out of the journal for one night?"

"I suppose." Dipper reluctantly closed the supposed journal and stood up off his bed. Avery noticed the bags under his eyes.

"How much sleep have you gotten lately, Dipper?" Avery asked, concerned.

"Not much." Dipper rubbed his eyes. Avery frowned.

"Take a nap."

"I'm not a kid, Avery." Dipper frowned.

"I don't care." Avery stated. "You need sleep. Go take a nap or something. Get rest."

"I'll hardly get any tonight." Dipper reminded.

"Well, do your best, then." Avery gave an encouraging smile. Dipper just smiled and walked out of the room.

"You can stay in here while we wait if you want." Mabel said. "I'll be right back!" Mabel ran off, leaving Avery alone with her thoughts and a half-open window.

Avery sat on the floor near the foot of someone's bed, presumably Dipper's. She closed her eyes, leaning her head back as she daydreamed of an epic adventure, dragons included.

Just as she and her army of minotaur and elves began a glorious battle, Avery was jolted from her fantasy by Dipper. "Hey, Avery. Sorry to bug you."

"It's alright." Avery replied, stretching her arms. "I needed to wake up anyways. What's up?" Before Dipper had the chance to respond, Mabel ran in, frantically flailing her arms.

"Bill's back!" She cried.

"What?" Dipper yelled. "Where is he?"

"He's downstairs, outside." Mabel explained.

"He can't get in, right?" Dipper asked. As Mabel began to explain that she might have left the door open, Avery saw something on the ground outside the window. "Okay. Avery!" Avery jumped, quickly turning around. "I want you to stay here, okay? I don't want you getting hurt."

"A-Alright." Avery nodded. She hated that she was persuaded so easily. She wanted to know what was out there!

"We'll be back." Dipper said as he and Mabel ran downstairs, closing the door behind them. Avery paused, looking at the door, asking her own question. _Why is Bill here?_ She thought. _I mean, I know he is from here, but…_ She wanted to see what was out the window; it was as if it was calling to her. She couldn't break her word to Dipper, though… She sat down, waiting.

About a minute later, Mabel came back through the door. "Avery! Bill said he wants to see you." Avery blinked. That was a little surprising…

"I'm coming." Avery said, standing and walking to the door. Dipper was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

"Remember Avery, if he tries anything, we're here." Dipper reassured. "And _don't_, under any circumstance, make a deal with him!"

"I won't. I won't." Avery smiled at Dipper's concern. _He honestly shouldn't be wasting his energy worrying about me…_ "He's still at the door, right?" Dipper nodded and walked Avery to the door.

"Alright, Bill, here she- He stopped himself.

Bill wasn't there.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the short chapter this time around! I didn't want to make you folks wait any longer than you had to. Hope you enjoyed!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Wow I suck at remembering things… I am SO sorry for the wait everyone! Here's chapter six!**

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><p><strong>VI<strong>

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><p>"What the…?" Dipper gawked at the empty space. Avery stared straight ahead, past the doorway. She thought, just for a moment, that she could see something in the woods.<p>

The world around her seemed to be on mute. Dipper was saying something to her, but she couldn't hear it. The thing in the woods stopped moving and seemed to stare back at Avery. Avery felt Dipper take her hand, almost as if he saw the thing as well. He tried to pull Avery away from the door, but she remained where she was. Dipper waved a hand in front of her face. She only nodded, acknowledging Dipper. Dipper looked like he was sighing, but no sound came out. He ran off, presumably to do other things, leaving Avery alone at the still open door. Avery turned and walked to find a toolbox.

"Hey, Soos?" Avery asked the larger man.

"Hey, dude." Soos smiled, waving. "What's up?"

"Do you have a hammer I can borrow?" Avery asked.

"Yeah, I do." Soos stood. "Lemme go get it real quick." He walked to an open box and quickly took out a hammer. He handed it to Avery. He noticed something was off. Avery's eyes seemed… dull. "Are you feeling okay?" He asked uncertainly.

"I'm alright." Avery spoke calmly. "Thanks for the hammer." Avery walked away. Soos 'hmm'd in suspicion.

Avery walked outside to the floating screen that showed her room, still lit by the lamp near her desk. The appearance of the lighting in the room showed that it was either the middle of the night or the early morning. Avery raised the hammer, then swung it down hard on the screen. The screen cracked and a loud mechanical screeching resounded, scaring off some nearby birds. Avery swung again. The crack grew. Dipper and Mabel ran out.

"Avery!" Mabel cried. "What are you doing?" Avery didn't respond and hit the screen again. The crack had enveloped the entire screen and another hit would surely break it. Dipper ran over to try to stop Avery, but it was too late. A final, forceful hit came and the screen shattered. Mabel grabbed Avery's shoulders as she dropped the hammer. "What did you just do?" Mabel yelled in panic at Avery. Avery blinked a few times, then looked around.

"How did I get outside?" She asked no one. She noticed the hammer. "Where did that come from?" She looked to Mabel. "What happened?"

"You broke the screen!" Mabel cried.

"Screen?" Avery asked, then realized. The screen was broken, and there was no other known method of her getting home. She was trapped. "Oh god." Avery's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. She looked at Mabel, who looked back with concern, then dashed away into the woods.

She heard Dipper and Mabel call out after her, but it was like they were speaking in some other language. She couldn't understand them. Her legs seemed to move on their own as she ran deeper into the woods. Nothing seemed normal to her anymore. Everything was so outlandish now. Yet, there was this nagging thought that everything was okay.

Avery finally began to slow down and met a halt at a still-growing maple tree. She fell to her knees in front of the tree and clenched her teeth. She couldn't even begin to think nor could she understand what she had just done. What had come over her?

_I need to calm down._ She told herself frantically. That had begun to be habit for her.

_Calm down, Avery._

_ Calm down, you disgusting waste._

_ Calm down, you useless idiot._

"Avery?"

She heard the echo of her name in her head, but that wasn't here. Her eyes opened to see Dipper and Mabel standing over her, worried.

"Are you okay?" Mabel asked. "You're crying." Avery shook her head 'no' and Mabel threw her arms around Avery in an attempt to comfort her friend. As Avery cried into Mabel's shoulder, Dipper spoke up.

"What was that, Avery?" His voice wasn't demanding or harsh. It was soft and curious. Like he wanted to know all he could about the event.

"I… don't know." Avery replied, calming down and pulling away from Mabel. "I just…" Her voice chocked in another sob, rendering Avery unable to respond.

"Don't worry!" Mabel reassured happily. "It's okay now. So let's just get back to the Mystery Shack and forget about it!"

"We can't forget about it, Mabel!" Dipper interjected. "She lost the screen! How is she going to get home?"

"We'll worry about it later." Mabel smiled, helping Avery stand. "For now, we've got a sleepover to attend to!" Dipper rolled his eyes and followed Mabel and Avery.

"Hey, guys?" Dipper spoke up a few minutes later. "Where are we?"

"We're on our way back, silly." Mabel reassured.

"This doesn't look like the way back." Dipper frowned. Avery looked around. Nothing looked familiar to her, so she couldn't really contribute to finding the way back. However, it seemed Dipper was right. They had been following Mabel for a bit, with no progress towards the supposed Mystery Shack.

"Mabel… Are we lost?" Avery asked, a little frightened. The sun was beginning to set and it was starting to get dark. Avery assumed no one brought a flashlight.

"No." Mabel smiled, oblivious to the darkening sky. "We're just taking a different route."

"It doesn't take this long to get back." Dipper sighed. Mabel suddenly stopped and looked around.

"Maybe we _are_ lost…" Avery began to panic, albeit slightly. How could they have gotten lost? They surely knew the way back, right? Alright… No. Not alright. Nothing is alright right now. Avery's heartbeat began to quicken and her throat became constricted it was difficult to breathe. She had never been in a forest before, let alone been lost in one. If they kept walking, they would see someone, right? Someone would know they were gone. Well, at least they would notice Dipper and Mabel's absence…

"Are you okay, Avery?" Dipper asked, concerned at the look on Avery's face.

"Yeah." Avery struggled to keep her voice steady. She didn't want to worry them.

"How about we take a break?" Dipper suggested, not wanting Avery to have a panic attack. Mabel nodded, then carefully took Avery's hand, leading her and Dipper off to the side where an old oak stood.

The three sat down by the tree. Avery leaned against the trunk sadly. She wished she could go home. She wished she would never have to come back. She wished she had never listened to Dipper in the first place. She almost wished that Bill was there, if only to make the situation more bearable.

"Wish granted, Eaves!" Avery was startled at Bill's voice. She sat up, and saw the floating boy in front of her, Mabel, and Dipper.

"Bill!" Dipper cried. "Why are you here?"

"Well, you guys seemed a little lost." Bill smirked. He decided to exclude the next part of his 'explanation.' He wouldn't _dare_ admit that…

"Oh…" Dipper faltered. "Well… alright." Dipper seemed hesitant to let Bill help them. Yet, he knew Avery wasn't doing well, so it seemed he had to allow the demon to assist. "Lead the way, then."

Avery stood, her knees hurting from having to be bent for longer than a minute, and smiled lightly at the sight of Bill. Having him there almost gave her comfort that things would be okay. Almost.

Bill led them through the forest, no one saying a word until they reached the Mystery Shack. "Here you go!" Dipper was suspicious. Why would Bill just lead them to the Mystery Shack so easily?

"Thanks…" Avery's voice was hardly audible.

"No problem, Eaves!" Bill smiled as Mabel and Dipper went into the Mystery Shack, Dipper glaring suspiciously at Bill through the window. "Now, go on in. I think you'll be staying here a while." Avery remembered about the screen and began to subtly panic. Bill frowned. "Hey, it's alright." Bill tried to comfort Avery, floating down to hug her again. In all honesty, he liked her hugs. Avery whimpered slightly as Bill pulled away.

"Hey, uh…" Avery spoke up. "Do you think it would be okay if you stayed for a while?" Bill was slightly taken aback. He knew the twins didn't like nor trusted him. Maybe they would change their minds if Avery asked.

"Why don't you ask first, okay?" Bill suggested. Avery nodded.

"Yeah. Okay. I'll be right back." Avery walked into the Mystery Shack. "Hey guys?"

"What's up, Avery?" Mabel asked as she and Dipper walked up to the teen.

"Well… I was wondering if…" She took a deep breath. "I was wondering if Bill could stay. You know, just for the night?" Mabel and Dipper looked at each other in worry.

"Well…" Mabel spoke with hesitation.

"I mean, only if you guys are okay with it." Avery said quickly.

"I'm okay with it..." Dipper explained. "But… If he tries anything, he's out!"

"Okay." Avery nodded, then returned outside to get Bill. "They said okay. Just don't do anything dumb." Bill smiled.

"Got'cha." He floated into the Shack. Mabel ran upstairs to tell her friends, who had arrived shortly before they returned from the woods. Avery looked around at everyone. Dipper was giving Bill sideways glances, but Avery couldn't tell if it was from suspicion, anger, or whatever else there may be.

This would be an interesting sleepover.

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><p><strong>AN: OH MY GOODNESS! This chapter is long overdue! I'm sorry everyone! I hope you all enjoyed it anyways! So, what do you all think will happen during the sleepover? Let me know, please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello all! Thank you everyone for your feedback! Here's chapter 7! Hope you enjoy!**

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><p><strong>VII<strong>

An hour later, Avery had calmed down and Mabel had convinced her to watch 'Dream Boy High' with her and her friends. Avery could barely stand the voices and the neon colors began to hurt her eyes. Avery didn't mind neon, but this was too much. She preferred pastel colors anyway. Not being able to take anymore, Avery stood. "Excuse me for a minute, guys." The girls just nodded, too invested in the terrible movie to respond. Avery smiled at them, shaking her head as she left the room and went upstairs.

She knocked on the door to the attic where Dipper and Bill were. "Are you two still alive in here?" She asked jokingly. Dipper opened the door.

"Oh, hey Avery." He smiled nervously. "Come in. Bill and I were just talking."

"Should I be concerned about what you were talking about?" Avery asked, walking in. Dipper's eyes widened behind her. "Or is it a secret?"

"Oh, uh…" Dipper hesitated. "It's a secret!" He prayed that she wouldn't press further. Avery just shrugged.

"Alright. I got'cha." She smiled at Bill as she sat next to where he was floating. Dipper walked back over to the two.

"So, what are the girls doing?" Dipper asked.

"Watching some headache-inducing movie about 'dream boys' or whatever." Avery sighed.

"You're not into that stuff?" Dipper asked, almost hopefully.

"Not really." Avery responded. "I'm more into like, the horror slash mystery slash whatever-you-can-throw-at-me stuff. Except romance."

"You don't like romance?" Dipper asked, curious.

"Heck no!" Avery stuck her tongue out. "I hate that stuff!"

"She does." Bill nodded.

"How do you know that?" Dipper asked accusingly.

"I know lots of things, remember?" Bill smirked. Dipper just sighed.

"So, Avery. You said you like mystery?" Dipper asked, wanting to change the topic.

"Yep! I watch a lot of crime shows and I love those mystery novels!" Avery paused. "Does that count?"

"Yeah." Dipper smiled. "Would you… maybe… like to go on mystery hunt with me and Mabel?" Bill glared at Dipper.

"Sounds cool." Avery smiled.

"You also said you like horror." Bill smirked, looking at Avery.

"That too." Avery nodded. "I like horror games especially, like 'Mad Father', 'Slender', and y'know. That stuff."

"Slender?" Dipper asked. "I've never heard of those games."

"They're games from my world." Avery explained. "Five Nights at Freddy's is my favorite."

"What's that one about?" Dipper asked. "Like, what do you do?"

"It's like… You play as a security guard, but you just stay in one place. These animatronics wander around and try and get you but you can just close the doors and laugh at them." She paused. "I may or may not have panicked and started crying while playing it, but that's okay."

"If it's okay… I actually want to hear that story." Dipper smiled. It was nice hearing Avery talk without stuttering or being shy.

"Then sit down, you're in for one heck of a ride!" Avery smiled. "I was at my friend's house on Halloween night, y'know, 'cause that's not cliché or anything. So we played Five Nights at Freddy's, or FNAF for short, and I sorta kinda screamed when we lost on night one. Then when we won night one, it was my turn to play. Now here's the part where you'll know I'm a wimp. Nothing even happened for my turn! No animatronics moving round. No weird pop-ups. Nothing. Yet I still freaked out and started crying." She laughed. "And now you understand how much of a wimp I am."

"Man." Dipper blinked. "How scary is that game?"

"It's pretty scary if you don't know what you're getting into. Which was me, so yeah." Avery giggled. "It was still pretty fun to see my friend get scared when I screamed."

"What happened to them?" Dipper asked. "Are you guys still friends?"

"Not really. She moved away last year and then stopped talking to me, so whatever." Avery said nonchalantly. Suddenly, Mabel burst through the door.

"Avery!" She called. "We need you down here. Stat!"

"On my way." Avery stood. "Bye guys. I'll return eventually." She waved and followed Mabel downstairs.

"I got her, girls!" Mabel proudly announced as she walked into the room with Avery.

"So, what's up?" Avery asked.

"Well, me and the girls wanted to give you a makeover!" Mabel smiled. Avery's eyes widened as Candy and Grenda showed her various cosmetics and a curling iron. Avery sighed.

"Alright." She submitted, figuring resistance was futile. "But don't go overboard." The girls cheered and forced Avery into a chair.

"Okay, now close your eyes and don't open them until I tell you!" Mabel commanded, to which Avery obliged.

* * *

><p>"Okay, Bill." Dipper spoke up as Avery had left with Mabel to whatever mess had happened. "Why do you like Avery so much?"<p>

"I don't!" Bill quickly denied. "I just think she's interesting."

"Oh really?" Dipper smirked.

"Really." Bill glared. "Why do _you_ like her so much?" Dipper paused, blushing.

"Well… I guess I think she's interesting, too. I mean, she _is_ from a different world. There could be so many cool things about her!" Bill was quiet for a minute, which worried Dipper.

"Alright, kid." Bill finally spoke. "I've got an idea. How's about you and me have a competition?"

"Competition?" Dipper asked, curious yet skeptical.

"A competition to see who will win Avery first."

* * *

><p>"Okay!" Mabel sang. "We're done! You can open your eyes now!" Avery slowly opened her eyes and gawked. Her short, brown hair had been curled near the tips. The girls had given her blue eye shadow and had painted her lips a nice shade of red.<p>

"Dang!" Avery yelled in surprise. "I look awesome! Thanks, girls!" The three smiled to each other and Mabel grabbed Avery's hand.

"Let's go show the guys!" Avery was dragged to the stairs.

"What? No! Mabel, wait!" Avery tried to protest as she stumbled up the stairs.

"Nope! The world must know your beauty!" Avery threw her hood over her head and hid her face as Mabel opened the attic door.

Dipper and Bill turned to see Avery shivering with anxiety, desperately pulling her hood over her face. "C'mon Avery!" Mabel whined, trying to pull Avery's hood off. "Let them see! You look fine!"

"What happened this time, Mabel?" Dipper asked, sighing.

"We gave Avery a makeover and I want to show you guys!" Mabel explained.

"I did not agree to this!" Avery whimpered. "I only agreed to getting the darn makeup on, not showing people!"

"C'mon Eaves." Bill smiled. "It can't be _that_ bad!" Bill was curious. He'd never seen Avery with makeup on and he wanted to see how good of a job it was. Avery paused, then slowly lifted her hood.

"Woah…" Dipper blushed at the sight of Avery. She looked so pretty…

"See?" Bill gave a comforting smile. "You look… fine." He had to start watching what he was saying. He almost let it slip.

"Th-Thanks." Avery blushed, then looked down. "Are we done yet, Mabel?"

"Okay." Mabel smiled, content at the results from the two boys. "Let's go back downstairs. See you guys!" Mabel waved and followed Avery back downstairs. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" Mabel asked as they reached the bottom of the stairs, smiling at Avery.

"I did not consent to that!" Avery frowned, not amused.

"But it was still fun, right?" Mabel asked, worrying that Avery would be mad. Avery thought for a minute. Seeing Dipper's face was comforting and Bill seemed to like her face, too. She shrugged.

"I guess so…" Mabel gave a silent cheer. The two went into the living room to find that Mabel's friends had fallen asleep. Mabel looked a little upset, but her face soon brightened.

"Do you want to go bother the guys?" Mabel asked.

"Didn't we just do that?" Avery asked.

"Well, since Candy and Grenda are asleep, we could go bother Dipper and Bill… Oh my gosh!" Avery looked at Mabel in concern and curiosity. "Did you see the way Bill was looking at you?"

"What?" Avery blinked. Mabel grabbed Avery's arms and turned Avery to face her.

"He totally likes you!" Avery's face turned a deep red.

"W-Well, he'd better!" Avery stuttered. "Otherwise, our friendship is gonna get _real _awkward!" Mabel shook her head.

"Oh, Avery. So oblivious!" Mabel cried. "The signs are all there!"

"S-Signs?"

"The way his eye softened when he saw you." Mabel began rambling on like an obsessed fan-girl. "The way he hesitated when he saw you with makeup. The way he comforted you earlier. The way he was glaring at Dipper."

"What was that last sentence?" Avery blinked.

"Nothing." Mabel smiled. "He totally likes you, Avery!"

"As if!" Avery laughed. "I mean, who the freaka-frack would like the crazy girl?"

"Bill would." Mabel giggled. "Oh man! Time for me to play matchmaker again!"

"Matchmaker?" Avery gasped. "Now hang on a second!" Mabel began ignoring Avery as she thought of ways to get Bill and Avery together.

"Yes! That's perfect, Mabel!" Mabel complimented herself. She grabbed Avery's hand again. "C'mon Avery!" Avery tried to protest as Mabel dragged her up the stairs once again. Mabel threw open the door. "Hey, guys! Wanna play a game?"

"What kind of game?" Dipper asked, his voice shaky.

"Seven minutes in heaven!"

Avery's heart dropped.

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><p><strong>AN: Yay! An on-time update! Well, what do you guys think? Should Avery get Dipper or Bill? Let me know what you thought! Hope you enjoyed!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you for your feedback, everyone! Here's chapter 8! Please enjoy!**

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><p><strong>VIII<strong>

Avery's face paled. _Please say no._ Avery silently begged the two boys. _Please say no!_ "Yeah, alright…" Dipper hesitantly agreed. He knew, or at least he was pretty sure he knew, how Bill felt about Avery. He had to be careful now; otherwise, Bill would probably get mad again. No one wanted that! Avery internally flinched at Dipper's answer.

"Sounds fun." Bill smirked. _I hate you guys…_ Avery internally cried. Mabel cheered!

"Okay! Avery, turn around!" Avery sighed and turned around sadly. "Alright, Dipper take off your hat and both of you put something in it!" Avery heard nothing for a minute until Dipper's hat was shoved in her face. "Close your eyes and pick one!" Mabel commanded. Avery squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to even peek at her impending doom. Her hand groped the empty air next to the hat until Mabel guided the hand to the hat.

"Thanks." Avery said before taking what felt grainy. It smelled nice, whatever it was. Mabel gasped. Avery dared to open her eyes. She was holding an air freshener in the shape of a pine tree.

"Dipper!" Mabel called. "She picked you!" Dipper blushed and swore Bill was glaring daggers at him with an angry scowl. "Okay! You two get seven minutes alone in here!" Mabel walked out. "Don't get too crazy!" Bill floated over to Avery.

"If he tries anything, just yell." He whispered. Avery nodded and watched as Bill left, Mabel closing the door behind him. Avery and Dipper stood in awkward silence.

"So… uh…" Avery paused.

"Yeah, um…" It seemed neither of them knew what to do. "Hey, Avery. Can I show you something?"

"Well, yeah sure." Avery nodded. Dipper walked over to his side of the attic and pulled out the book with the strange cover that Avery had seen before. "Is it that the thing?"

"Yeah." Dipper confirmed. "This is a journal I found a while back. It gives a lot of information on things like gnomes and the undead."

"Gnomes?" Avery blinked. Dipper opened the book to the page on gnomes.

"Yep. They tried to kidnap Mabel and make her their queen." Dipper explained.

"That's nuts." Avery sighed. "Can I see the journal? I just wanna flip through."

"Okay." Dipper hesitantly handed Avery the journal, looking at the door to see what Bill would do, if anything. Avery flipped through the old book, finding information on skin walkers, how to defeat zombies, and other things she had never thought existed. She halted on a page that caught her eye.

"Hey, look. I found Bill!" Avery smiled. "But why does he look like the Illuminati?"

"That's how he normally looks." Dipper explained as Avery closed the journal and handed it back to Dipper. "I don't know why he looks like a human now."

"Trying something new maybe?" Avery suggested. "I don't know."

"Maybe…" Dipper sighed. It was nice to talk to someone who didn't think he was crazy. Suddenly, the door flew open.

"Seven minutes are up!" Mabel called. Avery blinked. That certainly didn't feel like seven minutes… Dipper yawned. He had stayed up late so he could make sure Bill wouldn't be a bother and sleep was starting to catch up to him. Mabel giggled. "Someone's sleepy!" She sang.

"Yeah. I guess…" Dipper said tiredly.

"I told you that you should've taken a nap." Avery rolled her eyes. "Go to sleep, Dipper."

"But Bill might-

"I don't care what Bill might whatever." Avery frowned. "I'll hit him if he does something stupid. I don't care. So, go to sleep!" Dipper sighed, knowing that Avery wouldn't change her mind.

"Alright. Alright." Dipper gave in. "Goodnight you guys."

"Goodnight!" Mabel smiled.

"Sleep tight." Avery waved.

"C'mon." Mabel looked at Avery. "Let's go downstairs and let him sleep."

"Okay." Avery nodded, following Mabel back downstairs. As they reached the steps, Mabel squealed.

"I got her, Bill!" Mabel called to another room. "C'mon! He's waiting!" Mabel grabbed Avery's hand and practically dragged Avery to the other room.

"I can walk on my own, Mabel." Avery giggled at Mabel's rush to get her to see Bill. It was kind of cute. Avery stood upright as she saw Bill sitting at the table. "Hey, dude." Avery smiled. Mabel grinned.

"I'll leave you two alone." Mabel walked off, winking at Avery.

"What's that wink supposed to mean?" Avery asked. Mabel didn't respond. "Ah, yeesus." She turned back around to Bill. "So, did you need me for something?"

"Yeah. Sit down." Bill nodded.

"Sure thing." Avery sat down in the seat across from Bill. "What's up?" Bill didn't say anything for a long while. He just sat there staring at Avery. Avery wondered what was wrong. "Did I… uh… do something wrong?" She asked. "W-What's the matter?"

"Who do you like more?" He suddenly asked, almost as if he were mad. "Me or that Pine Tree?"

"Pine tree?" Avery asked. "I do not believe that I am a fan of pine trees."

"Not the literal tree." Bill explained. "I meant Dipper."

"Oh! Okay, I got'cha." Avery nodded in understanding. "So, you're asking me if I like you or Dipper better?" She paused, thinking. "Well… I guess I'd say I like you more. I mean, I've spent more time with you, so I guess I know you better. So, yeah. My answer is you." Bill smirked. "Why are you asking? Were you just curious or was Mabel right?"

"Just curious." Bill easily lied. He knew Mabel was right, but he'd never openly admit that.

"Okay." Avery smiled. "Anything else or was that it?"

"That was it." Bill said after a short pause.

"Alright." Avery began to stand. "You want to go hang out with Mabel or no?"

"No. I'd like to just stay with you for a while."

"Ah, sure." Avery sat back down. "So, um… Anything in particular you want to talk about?"

"Not really." Bill said, resting his head in his hand. _I just like looking at you._ He blushed at the thought. He can't believe he almost said that.

"You feeling alright?" Avery asked, noticing his face flare up.

"Y-Yeah…" Avery blinked. She had never heard Bill stutter before.

"You sure about that?" Avery pestered.

"I'm fine." Bill stated, even if he sounded like he didn't mean it. Avery smiled.

"I'll take your word for it." She yawned.

"You tired, Eaves?" Bill asked.

"A little, yeah." Avery stretched. "I'm not used to staying up this late."

"Why don't you get some rest?" Bill suggested.

"And where do you think I'll sleep?" Avery chuckled. "It's not like I worked out a place to stay."

"I have an idea." Bill stood. "Come." Avery stood and followed Bill out into the living room. He sat down in a corner away from Mabel's friend. He patted the floor next to him. Avery laughed.

"Seriously?" She asked. "You want me to sleep in the corner?"

"No." Bill smirked. "Come over here and I'll show you." Avery shook her head.

"Alright, whatever you say." She walked over and sat down next to him. Bill gently placed Avery's head in his lap. Avery blushed. "S-S-Seriously?" She asked.

"Would you rather have the floor?"

"I'm okay with here, thank you very much!" Avery paused, then allowed herself to slowly fall asleep. Bill smiled down at her as she slept. Yes, he had allowed her to see his soft side, but he didn't really care. He heard a gasp from the other side of the room. Mabel gawked, blushing at the sight of Avery sleeping in Bill's lap. Bill placed a finger to his lips, signaling for Mabel to be quiet.

Avery slept peacefully that night.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yaay! Another timely update! Hope you all enjoyed the fluff! Have happy holidays, everyone!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thank you everyone for your feedback! I will try to fix some things that were brought to my attention. Hope you all enjoy!**

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><p><strong>IX<strong>

* * *

><p>When Avery awoke, she found herself back in her bed. The digital clock on the nightstand read six am. Avery stood, wondering if it was all a dream. Despite the strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, Avery got ready for the day. The strangest thing was, she was wearing the same clothes she had been wearing at the Mystery Shack.<p>

Avery went downstairs to find her parents, doing their usual daily routine. "Hey, Mom." Avery said. "Hey, Dad."

"Morning, Avery." Her father smiled. "How did you sleep?"

"It was alright." Avery said, choosing not to tell them about the dream.

"I'm glad to hear it." Her mother said from the kitchen table. The family was quiet as they got ready for the day. Avery was curious, if the recent events were in fact not a dream, had her parents not noticed her absence. Were they simply avoiding talking about it? Avery decided not to ask.

"I'm leaving now." Avery called as she picked up her backpack.

"Have a nice day!" Her father replied. Avery left, still pondering the supposed dream.

Everything seemed to be normal at school. However, everyone seemed to be glancing at Avery and whispering about something. This was not a thing that they normally did, was it? Avery couldn't remember clearly. She hardly remembered what happened in reality. The only thing that seemed real to her was the dream.

During history, Avery looked at the empty seat next to her, where she thought, if only for a split second, she saw Bill sitting there. As Avery's name was called for attendance, she responded so faintly, Miss Shanahan almost didn't hear her. What Avery heard next was so surreal, she almost couldn't process it.

"Bill Cipher?" Miss Shanahan called. No response. She said his name again. Still nothing. "Absent…" Avery felt like screaming. She felt as though she had to run home. She knew it was real. That _he_ was _real_. She had to keep it together. She didn't want to put the pressure of worry on anyone, but she wanted to go back so badly. She clenched her teeth and pulled through until lunch.

Avery's lunchbox sat next to her, leaning against her hip, untouched. Avery didn't feel like eating. A boy she knew came up to her.

"Avery?" The boy, Ruben, asked. "Are you okay?" Avery nodded, unable to say anything. Ruben frowned. "Hey… I need to show you something. Come on." Avery looked up and stood, picking up her things as she followed Ruben to the unfinished hallway.

"What's wrong, Ruben?" Avery asked. Ruben sighed.

"Avery, I know what happened." He looked Avery in her eyes. "You've been missing for two weeks, and… I know where you were."

"Y-You do?" Avery stuttered. If she was gone for that long, then why didn't her parents say anything? Were they denying that it happened?

"Yeah." Ruben nodded. "You were in Gravity Falls, right?" Avery was speechless. She could only nod. "Yeah, I figured." He paused. "You know that new guy who always hung around you? Bill? I know him."

"H-How?" Avery asked. Ruben hesitated, then pulled off the glove on his right hand. Avery closed her eyes, not wanting to see his burn wounds.

"Hey, it's okay." Ruben comforted. "It's not burnt like I tell everyone." Avery cautiously opened one eye, then decided it was okay. Ruben held out his palm to her. "Look." Avery inspected his palm and gasped. Engraved in Ruben's palm was a singular eye. It looked like an old wound.

"What… is that?" Avery asked, looking back up at Ruben.

"It's Bill's mark." Ruben explained. "I made a deal with him for my sister's life. I don't want to go into too much detail, but it was essentially: He let my sister live. I let him use my body for whatever the hell he wanted."

"That's…"

"I know. Creepy." Ruben put the glove back on. "It hurt like hell when I got it." He paused. "What about yours?" Avery stiffened.

"W-W-What?" She asked. She didn't make any 'deals' with Bill, right? She didn't feel any hellish pain. "W-What are you t-talking about?"

"That one…" Ruben quickly pulled out the camera on his phone and switched it to the front camera. He showed it to Avery. "On your cheek." Avery gasped at the sight of the small, yet seeable eye on her left cheek. It looked similar to Ruben's, except the pupil was disfigured. It almost looked like a heart.

"Oh my god…" Avery covered her mouth in an attempt to prevent a scream.

"You didn't notice?" Ruben asked, almost in disbelief.

"No. I had no idea it was there…" Avery felt her heartbeat racing. "W-What the… Why on…" She couldn't form a proper sentence.

"It looks different from mine." Ruben stated the obvious. "I don't know what it means. I'll look around and see what I can find. Just… don't think about it too much, okay?" Ruben paused, then hugged Avery's shivering form. "Hey, it should be alright. Being marked isn't as bad as you might think."

Avery struggled to get through the rest of the day without fainting. She attempted to hide the mark with her hand, holding her head as though she were falling asleep, but she knew it was futile. Everyone had seen it. Thank god that Ruben was the only one who knew, but was he really the only one? Avery tried not to think about it too much.

At the end of the day, Avery prolonged going home. She went into the girls bathroom, thankfully before any of the sports girls came in, and stared at herself in the full-body mirror that had been attached to the wall. Her hair was still curled the way Mabel and her friends had curled it. Her lips still were the same pleasant shade of red and her eye shadow was smudged just enough so that you would only notice it if you were close enough to see. It looked like she had simply fallen asleep with the makeup still on. Avery brought a hand to her cheek where the mark was. Maybe she could cover it up with something, a bandage of sorts, perhaps. Was it impossible to cover up? Well, it didn't matter anyways. A good portion of the school must've seen it by now, right? Avery lowered her hand and looked to the bathroom door. The sports girls would surely be coming soon. Avery picked up her things and left.

When Avery arrived home, she walked up to her room. Her parents weren't home at this time. She placed her backpack on the floor near the foot of her bed and sat down at her computer, turning on the monitor as she did so. The file was no longer on her desktop, but maybe it was still there, somewhere on the hard drive.

Clicking 'search' Avery typed in the name of the executable file. As the computer searched for it, Avery began to doubt herself, if only a little. It took a minute until the results came up as nothing. Avery felt like crying. What the hell was going on? Suddenly, the program 'Notepad' opened. There was a single message written in the empty file.

_Hey there, Eaves! How was school? Sorry I wasn't there! No one gave you trouble, right?_

Avery felt a small surge of panic upon reading the message. Was someone else on her computer? Were they controlling it from somewhere else? Avery then remembered something. As far as she knew there was only one person who called her 'Eaves'. She took a deep breath and typed a response.

_Yeah… It was fine. Hey, who is this? Is this a kind of virus?_

She pressed 'Enter' and waited for the reply. The letters showed up on the screen as though someone were typing them.

_It's me! Bill! Did you miss me?_

Avery couldn't believe what she was seeing. Was she going insane?

_Bill? What the hell are you doing in my computer? How'd you even get in here?_

_I used a little bit of my power to get to you! I saw what you were doing. You were looking for the way back to Gravity Falls, weren't cha! Well, that's not happening! You broke it, remember?_

_Oh… okay. I got'cha._

_ Oh! I can do this too!_

Suddenly, the video player opened and Avery saw Bill in some sort of black void. "Ta-da!" Bill smiled, waving at Avery.

"Woah!" Avery yelped, rolling backwards in her chair. "That's…"

"I know. It's hard for you to understand." Bill gave a smug expression.

"You can hear me?" Avery asked.

"You're microphone's right there." Bill chuckled, pointing to the small computer microphone on the desk next to Avery's left hand.

"Oh." Avery blushed. "I-I knew that!"

"Sure you did." Bill dragged out the 'sure'. "Well, aren't you excited to have me as your computer buddy?"

"Sorta-kinda." Avery shrugged. "I mean, I'm not hyped about it, but I guess it's okay. Just one thing."

"Sure thing!"

"You need to help me with my homework when I need it."

"What?" Bill asked in slight surprise.

"That's all you got to do if you want to stay with me." Avery smiled. Bill sighed.

"Oh, alright."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the wait, everyone! Well, looks like Avery's gonna be stuck with Bill for a while. Anyone have any ideas for what should happen next? Let me know, please! Hope you all enjoyed!**


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